BRENT HEROES

Click through the list below to find out about the achievements of these heroes from the Black community with a connection to Brent.

Ian Wright

Ian Wright is a former professional footballer and television personality. Wright had a difficult childhood, but football was a source of joy. After struggling to sign with a team for years, Wright joined Crystal Palace aged 21. From Palace, Wright signed for Arsenal. He was Arsenal’s top goal scorer for six seasons in a row and is currently the club’s second highest goal scorer of all time. Wright lives in Queens Park.

Island Records

Island Records: This major record company is now famed for its pop and rock acts from the 1960s such as the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Cat Stevens, Spooky Tooth to current acts like U2, and of course Bob Marley. However Island, which was founded by Jamaican-raised English man Chris Blackwell, really started going from a residential house in Kilburn: 108 Cambridge Road, NW6. The landlord was Lee Gopthal, who went on to form the Trojan record company and Musicland record store chain with Chris as an equity partner. The label moved in 1968 with Trojan and Gopthal's B&C music business to Music House, 12 Neasden Lane, NW10 in Neasden. It operated from Music House until 1972, when Chris liquidated his Trojan equity and moved the rock music focused Island com­pany to just outside the borough border at Ladbroke Grove. In the mid-1970s, Island signed Aswad and Hi-Tension, the leading lights on the reggae and jazz-funk scenes.